Author: Charlie Frost

As a kid, my parents were always cool. They took me to a Don Henley concert when I was four years old. When I was an angsty teenager, they were fine with me going to a Limp Bizkit concert with my best friend and returning to the house later that night naively smelling like weed. In 2005, the same friend (who, at the time, enjoyed metalcore and wore girl pants) worked at a mom-and-pop guitar store and was randomly offered two Hilary Duff tickets by the store owners. Long story short, I'm not one to argue with free stuff. From the beginning, I've always kept an open mind about live music and attending shows. Concerts often inspire me, regardless of genre. The opportunity to witness the onstage culmination of tireless rehearsing, hard work, and songwriting is always exciting to watch, and it's also important to document. Somehow, I've stumbled into this great gig where I get to write about the fun times I have at live shows and then sharing them with you, the reader. In my spare time, I write/record/produce my own hard rock material, which can be found/heard here: www.sparkmandrill.bandcamp.com

Ben Folds Five – January 23rd – The Ogden

Post Author By Charlie Frost
Post Date January 30, 2013
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5 min read

Until last Wednesday night, it had been a very long time since Ben Folds Five performed in Denver. A packed house of hardcore fans were at the Ogden to witness everything that made Ben Folds Five so great: the short stories of oddball characters, the distinct vocal harmonies, Folds’ trademark prowess as a witty improviser and talented pianist, and even an impromptu rendition of the classic “Rock This Bitch” that delighted more than a few fans.

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Trampled By Turtles – January 10th – The Ogden

Post Author By Charlie Frost
Post Date January 16, 2013
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5 min read

What began as a modest line forming alongside The Ogden an hour before showtime eventually resulted in a packed, sold-out crowd filled with very friendly folks. Thursday’s audience was reflective of the evening’s music and performances. There were no gimmicks, subdued fashion taste dominated and calm, fun-loving attitudes were the norm. This combination resulted in a very relaxing environment full of well-adjusted, mature, down-to-earth music enthusiasts who weren’t trying to cause any trouble.

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Mayer Hawthorne – October 20th – The Ogden Theatre

Post Author By Charlie Frost
Post Date October 26, 2012
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5 min read

Last Saturday at The Ogden Mayer Hawthorne proved that he is a natural performer and charmed the pants off of everyone in the room. He posed for photos, he crooned through a Frank Sinatra cover, and he even shared a mixed drink of Vernor’s Ginger Ale and Hennessy with a lucky lady in the crowd. In addition to belting out a very solid vocal performance, shaking a tambourine, and occasionally playing staccato rhythm guitar chords on a white Epiphone, Hawthorne worked the stage and crowd like a pro.

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Deftones – October 19th – The Fillmore Auditorium

Post Author By Charlie Frost
Post Date October 25, 2012
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6 min read

On Friday night, Denver welcomed the Deftones and Scars on Broadway to the Fillmore Auditorium for an evening filled with loud guitars, emotional intensity, and charismatic frontmen. The most concise description for the Fillmore’s atmosphere was “dark,” in more ways than one – the dimly-lit ballroom, the dark-colored attire of many fans, the deep shades of blue lighting during the Deftones performance, and the dark themes and characteristics of the music itself.

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Gotye – August 22nd – Red Rocks Amphitheatre

Post Author By Charlie Frost
Post Date August 28, 2012
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7 min read

Despite a great performance at Red Rocks last week, the future of Gotye’s career remains uncertain at this point. He’s still riding a giant wave of success from one song and there are a couple of obvious questions that will inevitably crop up: Will Gotye release anything in the future that can even come close to the level of international crossover success of “Somebody That I Used to Know?” Will he have any additional success outside of Australia? Will he ever crack the Billboard Hot 100 again?

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Justice – August 7th – Red Rocks

Post Author By Charlie Frost
Post Date August 13, 2012
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7 min read

Justice delivered a full-fledged, theatrical stage production at Red Rocks last week that involved much more than mundane knob-turning and laptop-meandering. There were glowing crosses, huge Marshall stacks, leather jackets, head splitting beats, and of course sets from two opening bands, Boombox and Rusko. It was a dance party for the ages and despite some minor technical difficulties during the headlining set, the crowd of 20-somethings and scantily clad ladies left thrilled by yet another great summer EDM show at Red Rocks.

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Tenacious D – July 26th – Red Rocks Amphitheatre

Post Author By Charlie Frost
Post Date August 1, 2012
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5 min read

Last week, thousands of Comic-Con faithful, metalheads, frat boy rock fans, and other interested observers descended on Red Rocks when Tenacious D brought their tunes and live band to the famed amphitheater. It was a date that the band and fans alike had “circled on their calendar” and the performance was a memorable one that featured tight musicianship, numerous comedic interludes, and a set list that spanned the group’s past decade of crude, hooky songs.